Jordyn Tyson’s NFL debut will wait until at least November after New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said Wednesday that the rookie wide receiver won’t practice this week in Paris ahead of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“He’s improving, but he is not going to practice this week,” Loomis told reporters. “But he is improving, and we feel like we’re getting closer. Now, I don’t have a specific timetable for that yet. But we’re encouraged.”
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When can Jordyn Tyson return?
New Orleans placed Tyson on injured reserve with a designation to return on Aug. 30, which made him eligible to come back starting in Week 5. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Oct. 5 that the Saints were targeting Week 7 at the earliest, and Loomis’ update takes that date off the table.
The Saints play the Steelers at Stade de France on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET, then have their Week 8 bye. So the earliest game the No. 8 pick could play is the Nov. 8 matchup with the Cleveland Browns in Week 9.
Once Tyson returns to practice, a 21-day window opens. New Orleans has to activate him to the 53-man roster before that window closes, or he stays on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
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Jordyn Tyson hamstring injury history
Tyson hurt his right hamstring Aug. 13 during a joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars after he caught a pass near the sideline and got shoved from behind. Head coach Kellen Moore said at the time the injury had “nothing to do with Jordyn’s history”, and Loomis repeated that point Wednesday.
“Hopefully this is the one and only injury he has,” Loomis said.
That history is long, though. A hamstring strain in October 2025 cost the Arizona State product three games and lingered into the spring, which kept him out of the NFL Scouting Combine. He also missed the end of the 2024 season with a broken collarbone and tore three knee ligaments at Colorado in 2022.
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How does Tyson help New Orleans?
New Orleans (2-4) beat the New York Giants on Oct. 18 behind 38 carries for 175 yards. Chris Olave is still the focal point of quarterback Tyler Shough’s passing attack, and Tyson was in line for the No. 2 receiver job before the injury.
The 6-foot-2 rookie took snaps from the slot and the perimeter in training camp and caught almost every pass Shough threw to him. That versatility would let Moore move Tyson around the formation opposite Olave as the Saints try to climb back into the NFC South race.
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